A/N: Hey guys! I wanted to again thank all of my readers and reviewers! Sorry it's taking me so long to update. A.P exams suck. But I have a plan for this story! And it's not exactly following the book… the chronology is different, and Hermione doesn't have to strictly be Hermione! That's the beauty of fan fiction! I can change her slightly. But I appreciate all of your opinions, but patience. Don't like, don't read! But please read! And review. But have patience. Thank you all for reading!
Viktor woke to an irritating pounding on his door. He had just been having an amazing dream about Hermione, her soft lips, subtle curves, and lithe body creating an illusion so divine that he was immediately angry at the intruder standing outside his door.
The fist slammed once more upon the oak paneling. Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and peered out the window. The sun was up, but hidden amidst the grey haze of the clouds. He watched as the breeze made all the trees of the forbidden forest quiver in ecstasy.
He was exhausted. He had been up till two in the morning with Hermione again, and the lack of sleep was starting to catch up with him. Ever since their encounter at the waterfall, they had been meeting every night in Hermione's secret room in the library, simply talking, laughing, and kissing until they were both too tired to speak any longer.
The knock came crashing down upon his door for the third time, jolting him out of his memories. He had re-lived every moment he had spent with Hermione a thousand times during his classes and free-time, and was irritated even further at being jolted out of such pleasant thoughts.
He looked around his room, hoping the knocker would go away, thinking he wasn't in his room or that they would get the hint to leave. His room was covered in oak paneling, all of his furniture in the same dark wood. His bed had black silk sheets, and a thick, warm red coverlet. There was a large Bulgarian flag on one wall, the Durmstrang crest above his bed, and a map of Europe above the desk that was covered in books and scrap paper. His book case was over-flowing with volumes on everything from Herbology to extreme Dark Arts. Around the corner through a door on to the left of his bed, a magnificent bathroom stood with the oak paneling still present, but with black granite countertops, a huge walk-in shower, and a giant Jacuzzi tub.
The knock sounded again, even louder and more persistent. "Viktor! I know you're in there! Open up this instant before I blast the door open!" Threatened Karkaroff, his voice grating in Viktor's ears.
Sighing, he rolled over to grab his wand, pointing it in the general direction of the door and unlocked it. "Enter." he called, pulling the sheets over his head.
He heard Karkaroff 's boots hammering into the oak floorboards as he approached the side of Viktor's bed. "It's almost noon .What strenuous activities have been keeping you up this past week?" Karkaroff asked.
Has it really been a week? Viktor thought to himself. "Studying." he mumbled, pulling a pillow over the sheets to further muffle Karkaroff's voice and give him yet another hint to leave.
Karkaroff grunted in disbelief. "Of course. The Hogwarts females have had no effect on your sleep schedule at all "he mumbled.
"None." Viktor said .He rolled out of his bed, giving up all hope of tempting Karkaroff to leave.
"As long as your working towards our goals. You and I both know you will be the one to be chosen out of the Goblet tonight. Those other fools don't stand a chance. Have you been brushing up on your basic magic? Reading those books I gave you on more advanced spell work? What about your physical endurance? All of these skills are of crucial importance in order to win." The head master of Durmstrang preached with a sneer.
"Yes, whatever, and of course. I'm an infamous Quidditch player, for Merlin's sake." Viktor said, stepping into his bathroom. He turned on the showerheads, letting the water heat magically .
Karkaroff's lip curled as Viktor got into the shower, his dreams having left physical evidence in the form of a massive erection.
"Are you prepared for tonight, remember where to go once your selected, etcetera?" Karkaroff asked, ignoring Viktor's state as much as possible.
"Yup." Viktor called stepping into the steamy depths of the raging water. He sighed in contentment as he let the water race over his skin, down between his shoulder blades, trickling down his spine. He felt the tension in his muscles start to ebb away with the water that circled the drain.
"Very well .You know were to find me if need be. Oh," He started. Viktor could hear him shuffling his robes as he marched across the room. " Here's a couple more books I find you might want to read .They may prove useful .And you better hurry if you want something to eat. Lunch is over in 20 minutes." He chuckled when he heard Viktor drop the soap at his words. There were three things he loved in life: Quidditch , beautiful women like Hermione, and food. Viktor stepped out of the shower when he heard the door shut behind Karkaroff.
Rushing to find clean robes, he threw on his fur coat over the robes and practically ran down the gangplank of the ship, across the grounds and into the Great Hall . He had just enough time to grab a sandwich before everything vanished off the golden plates.
The hall looked amazing. It was Halloween, so, giant jack-o- lanterns were being carried in, their grimaces taunting him relentlessly. Bats were being brought in to scatter around the ceiling, and somehow the candles looked even spookier than usual.
Stepping back outside, excused from his classes for the day since he was a possible champion, he wandered around the lake, eating his sandwich as he went. Glancing around, he paused under a tree, sat down, and began to read one of the books Karkaroff had given him.
Hermione sat silently while the rest of her classmates finished their transfiguration assignments. She had finished 15 minutes ago, and was now staring at the clock, eagerly awaiting the bell. While everyone else was scribbling frantically on how to turn a frog into a tea kettle, she counted the seconds until she could go spend her free period with Viktor.
"Quills down," Professor McGonagall called out, before waving her wand and sending everyone's parchment to her desk. This sent a dozen evil glares towards her as others were cramming to get a couple words into their essays before they were taken up. "You may leave a little early today, since it is a rather special day." she said somewhat smiling as she waved them out.
"Bloody hell," Ron said next to her, one they had left the classroom. "What a horrible class. I had no bloody idea what to write about."
"It wasn't that bad Ron. Honestly. It was a rather broad subject that was extremely easy to write on." replied Hermione, who was rushing away.
"Maybe for you! Oi! Where you going?" he asked as Hermione dashed away.
"See you later Ron! Harry!" she called over her shoulder, practically running towards the staircase.
"Where's she going?" Ron turned and asked Harry, who shrugged in response. "Women…" he said.
Viktor turned at the sound of pattering footsteps running towards him across the grounds. Standing up, he had barely gotten to his feet when a mass of brown curls collided with him, practically knocking him back down to the ground.
"Her-mio-ne?" Viktor asked, staring down at her. "Vhat vas that?"
"A hug of course." She said, stepping back and lacing her fingers through his. "So what's up?" She asked, pulling him back down under the tree. Picking up one of the books, she read the title before he could snatch it back. "Extreme Dark Arts for Intermediate Level Wizards," she quoted. "Rather scary, is it not? But kind of sexy," she whispered as she leaned over to kiss him.
He kissed her back hungrily, devouring her sumptuous lips beneath his own, taking great advantage of her invitation. Lightly pulling her bottom lip between his teeth, he whispered back "if you say so" before releasing her and gathering his stuff. He had had his little black book out and was scribbling random day dreams about her when she had randomly appeared, and the last thing he wanted was his innermost dirtiest thoughts about her exposed…yet.
Leaning back against the tree, his books safely secured in his bag, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap. She rested her head over his heartbeat, listening to it thud in his chest.
"So vhy are you here? Do you not have class?" he asked, snuggling his nose into her soft curls, breathing in the smell of her lavender conditioner.
"This is my free period for homework. I decided to spend some time with you instead." she replied, cuddling deeper into his fur coat.
"I'm glad you chose me." he said, leaning his head back against the tree, watching the wind flirt and play with the branches of the trees. He felt he could sit there forever and never be unhappy. He was so content to hold her close that he never wanted to let go. Not ever, as long as he lived. He ran his hands up and down her spine in loving adoration, smiling when the muscles there tensed under his touch. She shivered unexpectedly.
"Are you cold?' he asked pushing her up so he could un-do his coat and wrap her in it.
"I wasn't, but if you're going to let me snuggle against you under that coat I can pretend I am." she smiled, laying back down so he could throw it over her, still listening to his heart. It calmed her to know that he was there, warm and alive, before he was chosen for that damn tournament and his existence was threatened.
"Then why did you shiver?" he asked.
"I don't know. You're touch is very arousing." she sighed into his chest, wriggling against him.
He drew in a deep breath, fighting to keep his reaction to her hidden. She looked up questioningly. "Don't wriggle so much." he gritted through his teeth. "You're touch is very arousing." he quoted her.
Chuckling, she wriggled some more. "You little…" Viktor murmured before leaning forward and depositing her onto her back, the coat spanning underneath her, creating a fuzzy blanket for her to lie on. Her hair fanned out across the coat, her breasts were seductively angled towards him, and her lips were lush and softly pink, begging to be kissed.
So he obliged that notion. Leaning down, he planted his lips firmly against hers, tempting her into submission, flirtatiously coaxing her to open her mouth and let him indulge in her warmth. She tasted of peppermint and cinnamon, which goaded him into kissing her even deeper. Finally, she obliged him and let his tongue sink into the haven of her mouth. For a while their tongues dueled in a passion so fierce that both were breathing heavily by the time the exchange ended.
"You are amazing kisser." Viktor complimented her, rolling over next to her so he was laying on his side on the edge of the coat. Rolling over to look into his eyes, she licked her lips before whispering "you're not so bad yourself."
Moving his hand to stroke the curve of her waist, he sat and talked with her for a while longer, discussing who they thought the other champions would be, and the possible challenges.
Finally, the bell tolled for dinner. Rising, Viktor helped Hermione to her feet before sweeping up his coat and muttering a quick spell to banish all the dirt and grass from the fur lining. Slinging the coat back on, he made Hermione giggle as he smelled it. "Smells of lavender. Same as your hair." he murmured, smiling at her as he slung his bag across his shoulder. "I must head to ship so as to arrive with Durmstrang." He said, raising her hand to his lips and bowing over it. "Shall I see you tonight?"
She moved her hand away from his and stepped close to him, standing on her tip toes to give him a chaste kiss before whispering across his lips "Of course, darling." Pressing her lips to his once more, she turned around and headed back to the castle, books in hand.
Shaking his head at her as she walked away, hips swaying as provocatively as ever, he meandered towards the ship, wishing he could follow her instead.
Stepping into the great hall with the rest of his classmates, he sat at his customary spot at the Slytherin table, and pretended to listen to what Malfoy was saying.
Looking for Hermione, his eyes suddenly trained on her once he spotted her towards the middle of the Gryffindor table, surrounded by her usual friends and acquaintances. Viktor grimaced at Ron when the boy reached across her for the pumpkin juice container and brushed her breast in the process. Jealousy was a powerful and corruptive thing, he was coming to learn.
Suddenly the feast began. Mountains of food piled up all around him on the golden plates. Sweat meats of every kind, casseroles everywhere, delicious pumpkin flavored goodies in every direction. But the only thing that attracted Viktor's attention was the peppermint sticks sticking out of the desserts. He greedily snatched up all of the ones in his reach, so he could eat them later and remember Hermione's kiss.
He was lazily eating one of the peppermints, watching Hermione eat her food with her friends, when the food on the golden plates finally vanished. Dumbledore stood and gave out the necessary instructions. But Viktor's eyes never averted Hermione's face until he heard "The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum."
Standing up, he glanced at Hermione once more, who was nervously smiling at him, and headed for the door past the staff table and into the next chamber. Collapsing into a chair, then standing up again, he continued to suck on his peppermint stick, eagerly awaiting news of who his opponents were to be.
Fleur Delacour floated in shortly after him. He sent a grunt her way in recognition as she sat down daintily and with the utmost grace on the nicest of the armchairs in the room.
She was followed by Cedric Diggory a short while later who waved at both of them congenially upon entering the chamber. He then walked up to the fire nervously and stood staring into it's depths.
Viktor leaned on the opposite side of the mantle from Cedric, waiting for the staff to come and brief them, just as Karkaroff said. All three looked up when the door creaked open, but all were surprised to discover Harry Potter at the door. Staring intently at him, he ignored Fleur's annoying questions, focusing on Harry.
Before Harry could form an answer to appease Fleur, the door flew open and all of the teachers and ministry officials poured in, suddenly explaining how the fourth year little boy in front of him was going to be one of his opponents.
Hermione stared at the door Harry and the rest of the necessary staff had just exited into. She, as well as the rest of the school, were still shocked into silence. All around her she heard the whispers. "Harry Potter… How did he get his name in?… That's impossible!… Doesn't he have enough glory already? Now he's wanting to steal it from Cedric!" Her entire being felt mute. She had no idea what to say or do. She had urged Harry to get a move on and walk to where he was supposed to go, but she didn't know what to do with herself. What did this mean for Harry? For her and Ron, who was in more shock than she. What about Cedric? Dumbledore couldn't possibly allow Harry to compete, could he? What about Viktor?
Viktor
What was she going to do about him. Her mind raced through all of their shared encounters in the past week. How did she let that happen? How had she let it all happen so fast? Why was she O.K with being a trollop equal to the other girls swooning over Viktor? Was Viktor the enemy now that he was against Harry? She had to remain loyal to him over Viktor; they were best friends, for Merlin's sake! How could she let all of this happen? She knew it would come crashing down around her! Nothing as magical as her encounters with Viktor could last, especially for her with her luck. She had to decide what to do about him and quick before things could get even more out of hand.
Rising from the table, grabbing Ron by the back of the robes, she walked towards the exit of the Great Hall, pulling him behind her. He still had the same glazed expression on his face as she led him down the hallways towards the common room, wanting to put him to bed as soon as possible so she could go talk to Viktor without him being suspicious.
Once she deposited him into the boys dormitory, she raced back out of the common room, down the staircase and into the library as fast as possible. She wanted to be there before Viktor so she could have some time to think, but as she pulled open the tapestry, he was already there, waiting to pull her into his arms and kiss her passionately.
Her protests melted at his touch. She had come here to break-up with him, but here he was making it 100 times harder by making her too weak to stand. She moaned as his lips played over hers, parting them gently before thrusting his tongue against hers, stroking it in lazy abandon. His hands moved down, around and up her back, claiming her by melding their bodies together, stomach to thighs. He arched her backwards, letting her hair dangle before he laid her back down on his coat he had already prepared to set her on. Withdrawing his lips from hers briefly to nuzzle her neck, he started to kiss from her ear, down her neck, and across her collarbones. She felt him unbutton a few buttons of her blouse, his hand snaking inside to lightly grasp her breast.
Sucking through her teeth, she hastily scrambled away from him, re-buttoning as she went. "I can't do this," she panted when her back hit the wall.
Viktor hadn't moved. He stared at the place she had been to the place she was now, trying to understand what had just happened. "Did I do something wrong? Vas I going too fast?" he asked her with genuine concern in his eyes. Those eyes made her heart and stomach clench in guilt.
"No, it's not you. I mean it is you, but nothing you did just now." she stumbled, trying to find the right words.
"Vhat then? Vhat is vrong?" he asked, edging towards her.
"Please! Just stay there for a few moments. I like you. I like you a lot actually. More than I should actually because I am truly just another one of your fan girls," she mumbled towards him.
"You are not just a fan girl. You are beautiful. You are mine," he said reaching out to tuck an errant curl behind her ear.
She leaned into his hand, letting the caress sink in, knowing it was the last. "Viktor, I just can't do this anymore. It isn't me. We've been going at a break-neck speed and I haven't had any time to think. The waterfall was so amazing, and your kisses are beyond anything I've ever experienced before," she said, blushing. "But we can't do this. Not now. Not when you're the enemy."
"Enemy? Vhat enemy?" Viktor asked, taken aback.
"Can't you see? You're competing against Harry, one of my best friends! He's alone in this tournament! I can't support you over him, and if we keep doing this that's the way it's going to be! He needs me more than you do, so I have to side with him. I like you Viktor, I like you a lot. But I can't do this anymore." And with that she stood and ran from him, tears pouring down her cheeks.
"Herm-ione" he called out, but she ignored him, disappearing out of sight.
He sat back against the wall opposite the one Hermione had been leaning on and stared at it. He was the enemy to her now. Someone she couldn't trust, never did fully trust. He'd lost his one true friend over this stupid competition.
"Glory" he mumbled to himself in Bulgarian. "What use is that?"
He opened his bag and pulled out the black book and began scribbling every thing he remembered about their latest encounter. He didn't understand. She liked him, had said so, yet she rejected him. Maybe he just wasn't used to being rejected, but he made a vow to himself to win her back. He wasn't about to stand down and let her go. He had never wanted a woman as bad as he wanted Hermione. She was his anchor to Hogwarts, had been his anchor to life for the past week, but now she was gone. He couldn't forgo the competition, but he had to do something. He wouldn't be able to rest until he did. He had to win her back, and quickly. He had no choice but to do so. His heart was too far in the way.